Public Libraries

Topics that drew reader attention in an eventful first week of February 2025. 

The executive order saying the United States will only recognize "two sexes" will have a ripple effect that "will undoubtedly affect public schools, public libraries, and the literature that is shelved in both," according to the statement signed by more than 50 organizations.

The News Literacy Project offers resources and advice to educators teaching news literacy at a time when the rhetoric around news and contentious issues has been ratcheted up to a new level.

Public libraries work with groups from health departments to community-based organizations and provide access to everything from cooking classes to safe walking routes.

In the latest lawsuit battling censorship, Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster, and Sourcebooks have filed a lawsuit challenging an Idaho law that restricts books in both public and school libraries.